CoLENSO. — Reminiscences of the Ancient Maoris. 463 



shellfish of different kinds of cockles, especially the kokota 

 {Mcsodcsina novce- Zealand ice). These were first cooked in 

 their shells in earth-ovens, and then the fish extracted and 

 dried in the sun. Of course, these and all kinds of their dried 

 animal food were softened when required for use, in cooking 

 by steam in their close earth-ovens. 



But the most curious mode of preparing and drying was 

 that practised on their crayfish (koura). This perfectly asto- 

 nished me when I first witnessed it. At the proper summer 

 season (November) this crustacean would be caught in great 

 numbers, and taken on shore near to a running stream of fresh 

 water. Into this water they would be securely and closely 

 packed in rows across the stream, like tiles on a house-top, and 

 kept down with stones j)laced upon them. When dead they 

 were taken out, and their shells stripped off. These came off 

 very easily, and the whole body of the fish, with its legs and 

 feelers, came out from the shell in one piece unbroken. These 

 were quickly prepared, flattened, with their legs, &c., confined 

 and compressed on their bodies, and hung up high in tiers on 

 erected hollow stages in the wind and sun to dry, and when 

 dried were securely packed into flax baskets. Each fish when 

 dry presented a most curious appearance — small, thin, light 

 m weight, and whitish, somewhat resembling a half-baked 

 scone. A stranger would be sure to be deceived from their 

 greatly-altered appearance — scarcely a trace of their legs, &c., 

 to be seen— merely a small oblong cake of tough fish, in its 

 dried state, and always considered a bonne houchc with the 

 Maoris, and, like the other kinds of dried sea-fish, often sent 

 into the interior as presents. 



§ IX. Of their Textile Manufactures. 



These were formerly prominent among the great industrial 

 achievements of the Maoris, and always elicited the admira- 

 tion of their wondering visitors. 



I divide them into two great classes — (1) of garments, which 

 were woven ; and (2) of threads, cords, lines, and ropes, which 

 were spun. 



Nature had given to the Maoris one of her choicest gifts in 

 the well-known flax plant (PJiornmnn), of which there are two 

 ascertained and valid species (P. tenax and P. colcnsoi) and 

 several varieties. These plants are pretty general throughout 

 New Zealand, and are well known to the Maoris by the com- 

 mon names of harakeke, loharanui, iuhar>iriki, and tihore — 

 excluding those of the many varieties, as known to them.''' 



* Sir James Hector, in his book on the Phormium plants, enumerates 

 fifty-five named varieties ; but it is doubtful whether more than half of 

 that number are permanent ones. 



